Innovations in Livability
National Summit For A Sustainable Future

Please join the Bay Area Council for a timely and relevant national discussion with prominent Bay Area business executives, federal decision makers, policy experts and elected officials. As we approach the halfway point of the Administration's first term, we will advance the goals for success of the DOT/EPA/HUD "Partnership for Sustainable Communities" with a national focus on how the Bay Area demonstrates both the right way to approach this and the challenges still to be resolved.

Innovations in Livability is a two-day summit that will showcase past and present partnerships and programs and focus on ways that business, government, and residents are improving the livability of the San Francisco Bay Area, as a model for the nation.

Key themes include:

• Economic Competitiveness and the Jobs Machine: How the Partnership for Sustainable Communities can thrive going forward
• The HUD/DOT/EPA Livable Communities principles as primary drivers for the future of the Bay Area 
• The global and national economic importance of the Bay Area as a precedent for major metropolitan areas and the variety of challenges it faces to maintain its top spot
• How businesses and employers are addressing today’s challenges in innovative and creative ways with the purpose of growing stronger for the good of the country
• Opportunities for the Bay Area and the Federal government to work together going forward to utilize best practices and focus on catalytic program and project investments.

 

Panel Discussions

• Innovation: Best Practices and Policy Reform – A look into smart and local precedents: Private sector solutions for local housing and transit problems

The Bay Area has been a national model for innovation, but it is not perfect. Take a look inside to see how local and regional governments, institutions, and private companies are stepping up to solve housing and transportation problems. See how the Bay Area is connecting housing to jobs, fostering innovation, and identifying substantial livability issues integral to the successful growth of metropolitan areas across the nation.

• Livability & Sustainability: The Interconnected Variables – Key ingredients of successful communities  

Jobs, transportation, affordable housing, education, environmental quality, connectivity, energy efficiency, and more: these are some of the interconnected ingredients for successful communities across the nation. What is (and is not) working in the Bay Area metropolitan area? How do these key elements work together? What are the key drivers for the future? How does the Bay Area balance interrelated priorities with coalition-building for a successful future.

• Is there a future for Jobs, Housing, and Urban Growth? – Addressing AB 32 as a precedent for the future. 

The key to any successful region is prolonged economic and job growth. With California’s now-historic climate change legislation being challenged in this November’s election, what are the implications for livable and sustainable communities at the state and Federal level?

• New Technologies and New Ways of Thinking – How cutting edge tools will guide the future of livable communities.

Business and government is increasingly leveraging advanced technologies to help policy-makers, business leaders, and the public make important decisions for the future. This interactive session will incorporate audience participation to map and model different land use and policy decisions through visual, interactive scenarios.

Join us for a summit will be a roadmap for the future; next steps the government, business, and thought leaders can take in the short to long term to successfully achieve the following HUD/DOT/EPA Partnership for Sustainable Communities guiding principles:

• Provide more transportation choices
• Promote equitable, affordable housing  
• Increase economic competitiveness
• Support existing communities
• Leverage federal investment  
• Value communities and neighborhoods

The Bay Area has created successful livable projects and programs that can be applied on a national scale. However, there are challenges that cannot be solved without knowledge sharing and collaboration. It is critically important that the Bay Area ensures its competitive advantage in the global economy by being able to provide housing in proximity to jobs and by leveraging our private investments in transportation, energy, and education.